Lost,Found and Lost Again
by lilyandthesnake
Summary: Diclaimer;I own nothing of Batman.This is my first fanfic AU starting in Batman Begins while Bruce is still gone. Bruce/OC eventually
1. Chapter 1

Lost, Found And Lost Again

Summary: A Batman Begins AU Fanfic starting before Bruce returns to Gotham. Alfred saves a young woman who has amnesia. This eventually will be a Bruce/OC pairing but I'm taking my time to build up her character and the other villains first. This is my first fanfic so be patient please. This chapter has been redone from the first posting. And as always, I do not own Batman etc. This Chapter is a T rating. Thanks for reading!

Chapter 1; Stray

The sun was descending slowly over the dirty, gray Gotham City. The sky was streaked with blood reds and dingy oranges. In the distance, storm clouds were building and lightening streaked across the horizon as thunder faintly rumbled. The wind was picking up, carrying the fresh scent of rain with it.

Across the river from the better half of Gotham and surrounded by dilapidated buildings stood a neglected tenement with broken windows on each of its five stories. On the roof, a woman in ragged clothes knelt, watching the sun disappear. Washed in the last rays of light, she smiled slightly. Despite of what she was going through, the fear, the not knowing, the questions left unanswered, it felt good to be free. She keep count of her freedom by the sunsets she watched each night from atop this roof. This one was number twenty.

Sun down, the darkness quickly consumed the sky, punctuated by flashes of approaching lightening. She brought a hand to her face, tracing the scar that curved from just under her right eye downward to her jaw. Shutting her eyes as she tried to remember what happened. A knife? She could remember flashes of blurred images, remember someone's voice, but nothing clear. Fear clenched her heart as she thought of the dark place she escaped from twenty days ago. There she was visited by a man in the mask, who sprayed a powder in her face. How many days she was there she couldn't count for there was no sunlight, only endless night. And rats.

She couldn't remember anything before that.

She laid low during the day, hiding from police and the men she felt were searching for her. She avoided all people just in case. At night she would venture out, in search of food, staying to dark alleys and back streets always careful to keep away from the rats. Maybe someday soon her memories would come back and she could return home. That is, if she had a one.

A home would be nice, a bed, shower, hot food, someone to welcome her. Ha! She glanced down at her dirty, ragged clothes and long tangled hair. Like someone would want this.

One thing she knew for certain, she was not going back to the dark place. She'd rather die.

The wind picked up as she left her perch and descended the decrepit fire escape. Her stomach growled as she reached the pavement. She kept to the shadows and started making her way west four blocks to an alley behind a restaurant. Dinner could usually be scrounged up there from a trash bin. As she walked, she tried to salvage a memory, scanning the depths of her mind for something, anything. Who am I? What is my name? She furrowed her brow and bit her lower lip, deep in thought.

She didn't notice the shadows that followed her.

--------------------

Alfred drove to meet his contact in the Narrows. Under any other circumstance, he wouldn't have agreed to the location, but he was desperate to get any information on Bruce. By his side lay an envelope full of cash. Alfred turned the Mercedes onto an alley, making his way to the appointed location. The wind blew trash across the deserted street.

As the months and years went by, Alfred had always remained steady in his belief that one day, Master Bruce would return home, but he also worried about Bruce.

And it seemed Bruce had vanished off the face of the earth.

No, Alfred wasn't one to sit and wait for a phone call, he had spent countless hours and sleepless nights making contacts and offering rewards for information. The last location Alfred had on Bruce was a prison deep inside Asia. But before Alfred could arrange for his release, Bruce disappeared. That was over a year ago.

Now, Alfred was reduced to any means possible to find Bruce, including late night meetings in dark alleys with unsavory characters. He was beginning to fear the worst. Hopefully tonight he would get the answers he most desperately searched for.

Alfred pulled a handkerchief from his jacket and wiped his face. This was the location, a man waved for Alfred to stop. He opened the passenger door and leaned in. He was holding a envelope. The exchange was made and the man left without a word.

Alone again in the car, Alfred slowly opened the envelope. This is it.

There were pictures, first of a monastery with snow capped mountains in the background, then another photo of the same monastery, burned and smoking. The next pictures showed Bruce with another man, dressed in black ninja outfit, monastery behind him like the first photos. He looked so different, older, hardened. But alive. Alfred looked it for a minute. He flipped to the last photo. It showed a burned body, unrecognizable except for its blacken ninja clothes. A small note behind the pictures read simply; No survivors.

No, that can't be right. There must be some explanation. Alfred wiped his face again. He simply would not accept it.

He started the car and made his way down the alley. A single fat raindrop hit the windshield. The wind, stronger now whipped around the buildings, blowing litter across the pavement. Thunder cracked and lightening flashed as Alfred turned the corner, heading home.

---------------------

A gust of wind blew back the hood of her sweatshirt, blowing dust and dirt into her eyes. She was raising her hand to rub the dirt out of them when three figures leapt out of the shadows at her. One of them swung something and struck her left knee, tumbling her to the street. The pain was blinding. She cried out and tried to get up, get away, but another man straddled her, trapping her underneath him. She felt fingers tighten around her throat and heard his crazed whisper as he leaned in close, lips brushing her ear.

"Hello precious.. Did you miss me?" He ran his thumb roughly across her scar.

She screamed and clawed at his eyes, trying to push him off of her.

The man cackled, "Oh, I like it when you play rough, babe."

She kneed him in the groin.

" Ahg! You little bitch!" He struck her in the face with his fist.

Thunder boomed overhead and the sky lit up.

Blinking back tears, she looked up at him, recognizing the crazy look in his eyes. No, not them! Terrified, she twisted with all her might, attempting to break free of the iron grip on her throat. He easily restrained her, then hauled her to her feet, still choking her.

"Come on babe, it's time to go home."

She struggled futilely in his grip, desperate to get away.

Car tires screeched to a halt and a man jumped out and attacked the nearest thug, pummeling him with his fists. She felt herself being thrown to the pavement as the man with crazy eyes turned to help his buddies. Each thug tried to knock the man down but he was unstoppable. The thug with the weapon tried to strike him, but he grabbed his arm mid-swing and twisted it violently. The thug cried out in pain and dropped the weapon. The man from the car was fueled by a passion too strong to be defeated. Thunder crashed and the wind howled through the alley.

All she could think about was getting away. She tried to get up, to run away, but her injured knee refused to let her. Sobbing, she crawled as far as a trash bin and hid behind it. She barely could hear the men's cries over the crashes of thunder. After a minute, when she didn't hear them anymore, she chanced a look around the corner of the bin. As lightening brightened the sky, she saw three heaps laying at the man's feet. The man looked up, seeing her. She jerked back, cowering behind the bin and squeezing her eyes shut, willing the world to go away.

A moment later, Alfred walked around the trash bin and knelt down beside her. He slowly reached out and touched her shoulder.

"Young lady, let me help you up. Where are you hurt?" As he gently moved her tangled hair away from her face, his fingertip barely brushed her scarred cheek. She flinched away, but opened her eyes. As the lightening flared, she saw that he was an older man, maybe early sixties, with kind eyes and gray hair. Thunder cracked close above them and fat drops started to patter on the street.

"Please Miss, we've got to get out of this storm," he said in his British accent, offering his hand to her.

She looked at him, considering her options. He didn't seem to want to hurt her. Finally, she took his hand in hers. The man reached down and pulled her up into his arms and carried her to the car. Once in, Alfred reached for his cell phone and dialed a number. The storm let loose it's torrents of water, soaking the filth in the street.

"Yes, Gotham Police? I need.. " The phone was ripped from his hands and snapped shut. Astonished, Alfred looked at the young woman. Her eyes looked pleadingly back at him.

"Please.. No police. I can't tell you why, I just know they will take me back." It was the first thing she had said to anyone in weeks.

"Take you back where?"

"The dark place."

Alfred looked perplexed. Perhaps she had received a hard blow to the head. He started the car and drove down the alley. At the street he turned in the direction of the nearest hospital.

"Everything will be alright as soon as I get you to see a doctor," he said reassuringly.

"No!" She grabbed the steering wheel, causing Alfred to slam on the brakes to avoid crashing. She flung the door open before it came to a stop and jumped out, rolling as she hit the pavement. Immediately, she was soaked by the downpour. She tried to get up, but she was exhausted.

The car came to a stop and Alfred rushed to her side, gathering her up in his arms. She sobbed uncontrollably, "Please, no doctors! No police! Just leave me alone!"

Alfred held her tight in the pouring rain, gently rocking her. "Alright, alright. Hush now, everything is going to get better. I know it will." He spoke softly in her ear, consoling her even as his own tears were being washed away by the rain.

"Please, at least let me take you to my home and tend to your injuries." He carefully took her face in his hands and looked into her eyes. "I promise you I will take care of you and not involve the police or doctors. You can trust me."

Not waiting for her to answer, he swept her up and back into the car. He retrieved a blanket from the trunk and wrapped it around her shaking shoulders. He got in the driver's seat and turned on the heater. He put the car in drive and headed for home.

The young woman leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder, crying silently.

Alfred spoke soft words of comfort to her as he watched the road .After a few miles, she fell asleep, exhausted from everything she'd been through.

Alfred wondered what he'd gotten himself into as he drove. Was she some sort of criminal? He glanced down, her eyes were closed and her face was peaceful. She certainly didn't look like a criminal. He caught a glimpse of the pictures in the floorboard. He blinked back the tears that threatened to fall. Bruce was not dead. He just couldn't be. Alfred knew it in his heart that Bruce was alive and was somewhere. Lost maybe, but not gone.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AN/ This is my first Fanfic. I've read lots of Fanfics, but now I can start to really appreciate what hard work you authors do to write one. Thanks again for reading and I hope it wasn't too horrible.


	2. Chapter 2

Lost, Found And Lost Again

Chapter 2 Wayneless Manor

A/N; Disclaimer: I don't own Batman, Alfred, or much of anything

Thunder rolled in the distance as Alfred supported the injured mystery girl from the garage to the kitchen. He turned on the lights on helped her into a chair. A large, furry black dog appeared , wagging his tail and sniffing the new visitor. She looked down with her tired eyes and smiled, "Hey puppy, how are you doing?" She ruffed his shaggy head. His fur was soft and silky, he looked up at her with his soulful eyes and licked her hand.

"Looks like you've made a new friend." Alfred said as he retrieved some first aid supplies from a cabinet. He turned to her, finally getting a good look at her condition. Damn, it was apparent under the bright lights that she was going to need a lot more than a band aid. She looked terrible, her long tangled hair looked as if it were light brown but it was hard to tell since it was so wet and dirty. Her face, bruised and scarred, streaked with blood and dirt looked quite out of place with the beautiful smile she bestowed upon the dog.

"What's his name?" She looked up at Alfred with big sparkling blue eyes, still smiling with her full lips. Alfred was stunned. She was beautiful. What had happened to her? Who was she? He stared at her for a moment, then realized she had asked him a question. "Uh, his name is Lucky, not very original I know, but it suits him. He's a stray I found , hit by a car about a year ago."

His quiet stare had unnerved her. I guess I look really ugly, she thought looking down. The dog looked up at her with his big doggy smile, tongue hanging out the side of his mouth, looking quite comical.

"Well, Lucky is it?, it's nice to meet you. I guess you can call me lucky too" She held out her hand and the dog lifted his right paw and shook it. She smiled again. He was adorable. She was surprised to feel tears trickling down her cheeks. She turned away and inconspicuously wiped the dirty tears off.

Alfred saw the gesture but decided not to bring attention to it. He cleared his throat. "Perhaps I could show you to a guest room so you can take a hot bath before we tend to your injuries. I can also prepare a late supper for when you get out"

A hot bath, food? It sounded to good to be true. As if in response to his question her stomach growled. She blushed but it went unnoticed under all the dirt on her face." Yes. Thank you…uh" She looked at him with raised brows.

"Alfred Pennyworth at your service. You can just call me Alfred. Might I ask your name?" He reached out a hand to help her to the guest room. She took his hand, noticing the cuts across his knuckles from the fight. He did that for her. She looked up at her hero with admiration. Damn it! I wish I could remember my damn name.

"uh.. I don't remember.."

"That's quite alright, I realize you have been through a lot tonight. Perhaps it will come to you later. For now, lets get you cleaned up and fed and then a good night's rest." Alfred helped her to the guest room, showing her to the opulent bathroom with a large tub in the center. He turned on the warm water, then laid out a thick bathrobe for her. "I'll have supper ready for you when you are through."

" Thank you so much, Alfred."

When Alfred was gone she undressed, noting that her injured knee was swollen and turning a horrid shade of purple. She limped over to the vanity and looked at her face in the mirror for the first time in many weeks. Ugh. Now that was a scary sight! She grimaced and turned away, taking in the luxurious surroundings. Such a huge house for one person. Did Alfred not have any family? The tub was now full, fragrant bubbles popping on the surface. She turned the water off, climbed in and sat down slowly. Ahhh.. Now this is heaven. She held her breath and dunked her head below the bubbles. Yes indeed, she was lucky too.

--------------------------------

After taking a quick shower himself, Alfred dressed and return to the kitchen to prepare a late meal for the both of them. First he took a few moments to bandage his cuts. He chuckled to himself. Who knew he had it in him to incapacitate three men single handed? Bandages done, Alfred started to make sandwiches and warm some leftover soup, still reflecting on the events of the night. First thing in the morning he was going to call Lucius and ask for his assistance with the girl. If anyone could help her recover her memories, it would be Lucius. He also wanted to ask Lucius about Bruce. There had to be more they could do to find him. Alfred sometimes considered flying to Asia to find him personally. He had been gone seven years, was he even going to be the same person if he found him?

Alfred laid the food at the kitchen table and then started the tea. It seemed there wasn't a day that went by that Alfred didn't feel an ache in his heart. Oh, he got by, but without Bruce there, Alfred felt useless. At least finding the dog helped with the loneliness of the empty house. Alfred smiled. As if on cue the said dog had appeared sniffing the air and wagging his tail. He looked up at Alfred with his puppy dog eyes and whined. His supper was overdue too.

"Oh, alright you mangy mutt." Alfred chuckled as he walked into the pantry for the dog food. When he returned a few moments later, he was surprised to see his guest had limped her way back to the kitchen all by herself. She was already seated at the table, hair still dripping wet, wearing the bathrobe. The expectant look she gave him reminded him of the dog's look. He couldn't help but smile at her. "Please, go ahead and eat, I just need to feed Lucky and pour the tea, then I'll join you."

"Thank you Alfred. For everything." Tears threatened to spill out of her eyes once again. She blinked them back, and turned her attention to the food. It smelled wonderful. It looked wonderful. She brought the sandwich to her mouth and took a big bite. Oh God, it tasted heavenly. Then the tears did roll down her cheeks. She swallowed then spooned some of the soup to her mouth. Mmm.. Delicious. Thank you God. Thank you, Alfred, my hero.

By the time Alfred sat down her soup bowl was empty and she was fast on her way to finish the sandwich.

"umm…This is delicious Alfred." she mumbled, mouth full.

He smiled. Something about her reminded him of Bruce. He had always loved Alfred's cooking too. Or was it the way she looked while eating? Bruce could eat like a pig eating sometimes when he was really hungry. Or maybe he just missed Bruce too much. Damn, Bruce you need to be here, you need to be home. Where are you?

After eating , Alfred directed her to a long couch in front of a fireplace in the den adjacent to the kitchen. A cold wind had blown in after the storm making the mansion chilly. Alfred lit the fireplace and went back to the kitchen to retrieve the bandages and some hot tea. When he got back he had her prop her leg up on the coffee table so he could wrap the knee. Once done, he poured two cups of tea and sat at the end of the couch, beside her. Lucky came in and jumped up on the other end, turned three circles and laid down and put his head in her lap. When she didn't immediately start petting him, he looked up at her and huffed loudly, then nuzzled her arm.

"Oh alright" she giggled and scratched behind his ears. Lucky looked as though he'd died and gone to heaven.

"I believe I've never seen that dog so happy" Alfred chuckled.

"I think I've created a monster." the girl laughed as the dog sat up and licked her face enthusiastically. The woman leaned toward Alfred to get away from the sloppy dog kisses, resting her head on his shoulder. Alfred reached over her and pointed a finger at Lucky. "Go to sleep now Lucky" he scolded. The dog just looked at him and huffed again, turned three times and curled up in his previous position. Alfred set his arm across the back of the couch. The woman stayed there by him but turned her back toward him picking her feet off the coffee table and placing them on the furry pillow.

They sat there in peaceful quiet, watching the flames, lost in their own thoughts. After a while, Alfred looked down at her and saw she had fallen asleep." Goodnight, Lucky." he whispered. He gently got up and placed a pillow under her head and blanket over her. Exhausted, He walked to his room, joints aching and protesting every move. Boy, he was going to feel it in the morning. He felt tired, but also content knowing that he was needed again. If only Bruce would come home, everything would be perfect.

-------------------------

A/N; Well, I sure hope Bruce comes home soon too! This an AU fic. I know they didn't have a dog, but he's so cute! And Alfred was lonely!


	3. Chapter 3

Lost, Found and Lost Again

Chapter 3

Fox is a Hound

AN/ When Bruce gets back , it's push-ups for everybody! Disclaimer: I don't own the Batman, just borrowing him for awhile. Warning; This is my first fanfic, so its rough. Oh, and if you read and reviewed, thanks.

Darkness fell in a harsh foreign land. An unforgiving artic wind blew snow across a bleak mountain landscape. Jagged chunks of ice and rock created a frozen, nightmarish hell that few dared inhabit.

In the distance, smoke rose from a tiny dwelling precariously perched on the mountainside.

No one could survive long exposed to the sub-zero gale out. Anyone brave enough or stupid enough to be here rode out the blizzard indoors.

Inside the one room hut, and not feeling particularly brave, Bruce shivered before a little fire, trying to warm his battered, frostbit fingers.

The events at the monastery had taken a toll on both mind and body, and the trip back to civilization was taking much longer than expected. And now the only mountain pass out of this God forsaken place was impassable due to the raging winter storm.

Bruce frowned and stared at the dancing flames, feeling defeated.

Across the fire, a short, pudgy farmer smiled at him with dirty, gapped teeth. He said some words of encouragement in his native tongue. Bruce grunted in response. The farmer spooned an unidentifiable substance into a cup a handed it to Bruce. It both looked and smelled revolting. He took a drink and grimaced. Ugh.. Will this hell ever end? He'd never missed Alfred's cooking as much as he did now.

The farmer was looking at him expectantly so Bruce nodded and finished the soup in one gulp, suppressing his gag reflex. The farmer smiled again and offered Bruce some more but Bruce shook his head no. Dying from food poison in the middle of nowhere was not how Bruce wanted to end his life.

He had to get back to Gotham, back to his home. It was the very reason for his existence. For so long it had been about his need for vengeance , retribution for the pain inflicted upon him. But now, with the truth about the League of Shadows known, Bruce was driven to protect the people of Gotham. They needed him. Everyday he stayed away, more people would fall to the violence like that perpetrated by the League of Shadows. Bruce leaned forward and placed his head in his hands. The people needed a protector and the criminals needed someone to fear. An idea was forming in his head.

Maybe tomorrow the storm would end.

------------------------------

She jumped up, awoken by nightmares that felt unnervingly real, and looked around. Confused by her new surroundings momentarily until she remembered the events of the night before. A warm fire still burned in the gigantic marble fireplace and a large mound of black fur was still at her feet on the couch. Alfred must have put a blanket over her, she didn't remember it from the night before. She smiled. She must have fallen asleep on him. Poor guy, he must have been exhausted too. She rubbed her eyes, wondering what time it was. As if in answer the clock on the mantle chimed. Seven o'clock. She got up and limped across the room to the floor to ceiling windows and then pulled back a heavy drape to look outside.

It was beautiful. The skyline of Gotham was silhouetted on the horizon as the sun, just beginning to rise in the east colored the sky in various shades of pinks, purples and oranges. The gorgeous grounds of the mansion stretched on as far as the eye could see. Huge oak trees lined each side of the property and enormous hedges that looked as if they had been there for hundreds of years bordered the garden. Wow.

Something furry brushed her leg and she looked down to see Lucky standing there wagging his tail.

" Good morning, handsome." She reached down and patted his head. Lucky soaked up the attention, leaning into her hand, wanting more. He sniffed the air, his eyes seemed to widen a little then he turned and ran towards the kitchen. Hmm.. I wonder what got into him?

Then the smell of bacon hit her. Oh God, I've died and gone to heaven. She smiled again and followed Lucky to the kitchen.

-----------------------------

In a black high rise in the heart of Gotham, a well dressed man in a ebony suit watched the sunrise from his top floor penthouse. His handsome features were expressionless. Behind him, the black polished marble floor reflected the modern furniture in the room, all in black. The walls and ceiling were black also. So was the man's heart. Although he had millions of dollars, owned numerous properties, and ran a large corporation, nothing brought him pleasure like the pain and suffering of others.

Sure, money bought power, the business he owned created things that saved lives, and the people who worked in his buildings respected him. But that was not what fueled the fire in his heart. That was just the facade the world saw. For without the shadow there would be no sunshine. The balance had to be just right. He ran a hand through his smooth jet black hair, then turned to his desk and touched a button on a remote. Shades came down, blocking the sunlight from outside, darkness filling the room.

A light blinked on the desktop, he reached out and picked up the receiver as he sat down, anxious to hear the report from Jack.

"Did you find her?" he asked in a deep voice.

"Yes, but there were complications." Jack answered nervously. "A man showed up and.."

"You didn't get her?" he cut him off angrily. Damn idiots.

"Sir, we were taken off guard, I didn't expect an old guy, I mean a guy to take on the three of us much less knock us out." Jack answered in a rush.

" I need her back, Jack. Her memory will be returning soon and I don't want her in the wrong hands when it does."

" I know sir, we did get a make and model on the car he was driving, a pretty rare Mercedes so it shouldn't take us too long to track him down."

"Find her. Today. Or Jack…You know that new machine in the R&D department?"

"Uh. .yeah" Jack answered softly. He knew what that implied.

"Just find her." He hung up the phone, angry. Why couldn't he invent a machine that raised a person's I.Q.? Idiots.

What was he going to do if he couldn't get his star employee back? He pinched the bridge of his nose, a terrible migraine beginning behind his eyes. He only meant her stay at Arkham Asylum to be a punishment for her disobedience, not to have her escape without her memory and cause all this trouble. Damn her. He dialed a number in the darkness.

"Alex."

"Yes, Mr. Grant?"

"See if you can give Jack some assistance today, would you?"

"Yes sir, Is this about Marian?"

"Yes. The fool found her last night but she escaped, with help. I don't want it to happen again. Dead or alive, Alex. Can I trust you to do what is needed?"

"Yes sir." God, the boss was really pissed.

" Good. Take care of it." He hung up the phone again and flicked on the computer, bringing up plans for another one of his inventions. This little machine was sure to make him exceedingly happy.

--------------------------------

Lucius Fox checked his watch as he knocked at the door of Wayne Manor. Eight- thirty. Alfred seemed anxious on the phone earlier when asking Lucius to help him with a problem. He said he'd come right over. Age may have weakened his body but it had not taken away any of Lucius' voracious curiosity. He simply loved a challenge, and from what Alfred described, he was about to meet one.

Alfred met him at the door with a warm smile, " Come in, Lucius. Thank you for coming on such short notice. I have a young lady here you must meet." Lucius entered and they made their way to the kitchen. If he was not mistaken, Alfred seemed to be a little more lively than he had been of late. When they entered the kitchen , Lucius saw the reason for this as a young lady beautifully smiled up at Alfred from the table.

After making introductions and pouring coffee they sat at the kitchen table and Lucius took out a small medical kit from his jacket pocket.

" If you will let me, Alfred explained your situation and I believe I could isolate the toxins if I could analyze a sample of your blood. And then maybe develop an antidote."

She looked at the needle in his hand and then at Alfred with raised brows. If this was someone Alfred trusted than he must be okay. She held out her arm to him.

"Okay." she said. As Lucius took the sample he distracted her with conversation.

"So what do you remember about the dark place?" he took her arm gently and rolled up the sleeve of the bathrobe.

"It was dark the whole time, except for when the man came with the mask on."

"And what did he do to you?" He tied a piece of latex around her upper arm then swabbed it with an alcohol pad.

"He sprayed me with some kind of gas."

"And did that cause you to lose your memories?" He quickly pierced the vein with the needle, drawing out the bright red fluid.

"No, they were already gone." It didn't hurt as bad as it looked. " I just remember it being very frightening."

"Anything else you remember about the dark place?" He stuck a bandage over the puncture spot and took off the strap of latex.

She paused, "There were rats. Lots of them."

"You could see them?" Lucius thought she had said it was dark.

" No.. I felt them, crawling on me" She reached down and unconsciously stroked the dogs head. Ugh.. I don't want to talk about the rats. They were particularly bad after the masked man sprayed her.

" Do you remember anything before the dark place?" Lucius could sense she was pulling back.

"Uh.. Just flashes of memories, kind of blurry. Nothing clear." A knife at her face, someone holding her down, laughing, taunting. I think I'll keep that to myself. She looked down at the dog. He licked her hand. He was such a sweetie.

Lucius decided she had enough of questions for now. He turned to Alfred and said ."I'll call you with the results of the blood test later. Didn't you say you had something else you wanted to talk to me about?"

" Oh, yes." Alfred had nearly forgotten about the pictures. " Let me walk you to the door while we talk about it."

Lucius patted the girl on the shoulder, "It was nice to meet you, and don't worry, I'll find a way to help you."

"Thank you, Lucius." She smiled warmly at him as he got up from the table.

As the two walked back the front door, Alfred brought out the pictures from his jacket pocket and handed them to Lucius.

"What do you make of these?"

Lucius looked them over and then back at Alfred.

"Pictures can be deceiving, and sometimes people lie to suit their own agendas." He noticed the distraught look on Alfred's face. "I'll look into it." He tucked the pictures in his jacket. "I'm sure Bruce is just fine, probably eating a five course meal as we speak." He gave Alfred a reassuring pat on the back, much like the one he'd given the girl.

"I'd be happier if he were here, if it's the same to you." Alfred smiled back at his old friend.

"Yes, of course you would." He looked back toward the kitchen. "At least you have someone to keep you company now. She's quite a beauty, isn't she?" He raised his eyebrows at Alfred knowingly.

"It's not what you think, Lucius." Alfred replied dryly, giving Lucius a glare. Why would anyone think a beautiful young woman such as her would look twice at an old man like him? Lucius must be going blind.

"Alright, alright" Lucius said holding his hands up in defense, smiling slyly. "But did you see the way she looked at you in there? She must think a lot of you." You couldn't get much past him, he was part blood hound.

"I did cook her breakfast." Alfred conceded, smiling.

"That was it then. You know what they say about the way to a woman's heart."He shut the door before Alfred could respond. Lucius walked to his car smiling. Alfred, I think you're in way over your head. He glanced at the pictures again. He had an acquaintence he could possibly contact who might know something. He got in the car and headed to his lab at Wayne Tower. Today might prove to be very interesting.

A/N; Well, at least we got her name now, but this is working up to be a long story at the rate I'm going. Don't worry, I'm not hooking her up with Alfred… yet. Ha! You'll have to read on to find out.


	4. Chapter 4

Lost, Found And Lost Again

Chapter 4: What Wicked Games We Play

AN/We got villains galore in this chapter! Foul language ahead so I guess it's M rated.

Disclaimer; I don't own the Batman, just borrow. Thanks for reading and reviewing.

Alex sat in a room on the fiftieth floor of Black Corp Tower, cleaning and assembling a futuristic weapon. On the walls around him, guns and equipment were displayed in rows. Alex worked diligently, making sure the moving parts of the gun worked perfectly. There was no room for mistakes in his line of work.

One gun done, he picked up a backup gun and started on it. Alex tossed his head for the umpteenth time, his long brown hair falling into his eyes. He thought of what Grant said earlier on the phone. Dead or alive. Damn, He really didn't want to kill Marian, but he would if he had to. There was a lot at stake and she was a liability. What was she thinking, defying Grant the way she did? Did she not learn anything from her punishment at Arkham? Alex worked intently on the gun in front of him, hair falling across his face again.

He heard a snip of scissors and turned to see Josef had somehow silently snuck up behind him, holding scissors up and smiling mischievously.

"I can take care of those annoying bangs for you." snip, snip.

Alex rolled his eyes and brought the gun up between them.

"I'd like to see you try. How long have you been here?" Josef was a master at stealth, trained killer, and unfortunately, a prankster.

"Oh, long enough. You know, it's disturbing, watching you make love to that gun," He made a stroking motion in the air and mimicked Alex's voice, "Oh I just love to clean my gun, its so hard and oh so looong..."

"Fuck off, asshole. Don't you have something to do, besides annoy the hell out of me?"

"Yes, but I thought I'd annoy the hell out of you anyway. Hey, did you see Jack's face today? He looks like he went ten rounds with Mike Tyson." Josef smiled wickedly. Neither of them cared much for Jack and his goon squad.

"No, but I heard it was an old guy that did it." Alex smiled back, trying not to laugh.

"No way! Lenny was there and he said it was a seven foot tall, 300 pound black man with arms as thick as tree trunks."

"Nope." Alex shook his head, chuckling. Josef sure could be gullible sometimes.

"Damn, that asshole lied to me. I'm going to super glue his ass cheeks together." Josef crossed his arms and looked expectantly at Alex. "Well? Who was it then?"

"Don't know yet, Jack's still looking in the database for the Mercedes that the guy drove. A pretty sweet '65 sedan. Not too many like it out there so it shouldn't take long."

"Jack couldn't find a '65 Mercedes if it was parked up his ass. I know someone's helping him, who is it? Bobby?" Josef wasn't going to leave until he knew everything Alex did.

"Of course." Bobby was the only one of the nerd herd that was crazy enough to put up with Jack.

"So what are you doing?" Josef gestured at all the guns and gear Alex had laid out on the table, "Looks like your preparing for world war three."

"Grant asked me to help out Jack."

"Oh shit, what does he want you to do?" Josef's expression turned dead serious. Rarely were the big guns called out.

Alex wasn't sure he wanted to answer that question. "Um, just help Jack with Marian."

"Marian!? You mean those shitheads actually found her? Where is she?"

"With the old guy, I guess." They had already checked the hospitals and police stations and she wasn't at any of them.

"You mean she was there last night when fuckhead got his face bashed in? Why didn't anyone tell me this!?" Josef was getting upset.

"I'm telling you right now, dummy. Now calm down before you blow a gasket."

Josef looked at the guns and then back at Alex, realizing what they were for.

"You aren't going to kill her, are you!? Alex, you can't, she doesn't remember anything! They wiped her memory before they hauled her off to Arkham!"

"Josef! Would you be quiet, the whole place is going to hear you." Alex walked to the open door and looked out in the hall to make sure it was empty. He closed the door and turned to face Josef. He spoke quietly, "Grant said to do what was needed to get her back, dead or alive."

"But we erased her memory! She can't hurt us. Hell, she doesn't even know who the fuck we are anymore."

"That was only temporary, her memory will come back, if it hasn't already. With all the stuff she knows, we would be fucked, Josef. I don't want to do it, but I have to. Our lives and the lives of everyone associated with us are at stake."

"Alex, I'm telling you, she's not going to remember. Ever."

Alex narrowed his eyes at Josef. What was he trying to tell him? The effects of Grant's memory wipe machine were temporary. He himself knew firsthand.

"Is there something you're not telling me, Josef?" Alex placed his hands at his hips, staring Josef down.

"Well, you remember that corporate spy we caught last year trying to break in?"

"Yeah. Didn't you take care of him?" By take care of him, he meant kill him. From the way Josef looked at him he guessed not.

"Uh, you promise to keep this to yourself?"

"Of course. You know you can trust me." The two of them had been best friends for years.

"Well, I kinda sorta didn't take care of the guy. I mean he's not a threat anymore, but he's not dead either."

"What!? You disobeyed a direct order? You know what could happen to you, don't you!?" Alex couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Just listen to me, alright? You know how Bobby is, always wanting to try something new? Well he asked to use that guy, for an experiment, you could say."

Alex raised his brow. Damn. What the hell did they do?

"Josef, if Grant finds out you didn't kill that guy, you're as good as dead and you know it! What did Bobby do to him?"

"He left him hooked up to that machine a little too long and fried his brain. That poor guy couldn't even talk when Bobby was done with him."

Alex thought for a moment and then realized that Bobby had been the one that erased Marian's memory. Oh shit. He grabbed the front of Josef's tailored jacket, pulling him close.

"Josef, what did he do to Marian?" Alex growled.

"Not as much, but more than he was supposed to." Josef said quietly, looking down.

"What!?"

"Like I said before, she's not ever going to remember. Hell, that guy Bobby cooked is still learning his abcs, and that's after a year in the hospital."

Alex let go of Josef and ran a hand through his hair. Did Josef have a death wish?

"You still keep in touch with that spy? Are you crazy?"

"Well, his wife does make some damn good cookies. Anyway, his doctor says he has permanent damage but should be fully functional, in a few years."

"You talked to his doctor?" Alex couldn't believe it. Josef had gone off the deep end. Next he'll be telling him he's found religion.

"Yeah, she's pretty hot too." Josef winked.

Alex was pissed. Why did Bobby screw around with Marian's mind? What good would she be if she never regained her memory. Grant will probably kill her anyway, and it wouldn't be a quick, easy death either. Maybe he had better kill her tonight and save Josef's secret from being found out and save her from the pain of torture, or worse. Alex headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Josef asked.

"I'm going to beat the shit out of that nut job Bobby, then I'm going to fry his fucking brain into charcoal." Alex yanked opened the door and charged down the hall, toward computer room. Josef followed.

"Hey, wait for me. I want to watch." This was going to be entertaining.

---------------

Bobby Buscanti sat in a cloud of cigarette smoke wearing holey jeans and a black Johnny Cash t-shirt. In front of him was a bank of computer screens, each showing different readouts and statistics, except for one that played a Japanese porno. ZZ Top's live version of Tush played loudly over the sound system. His fingers were flying over a keyboard, entering code at blinding speed. Bobby rocked back and forth in his chair, nodding his head to the music, cigarette hanging from his lip.

"I've been bad, I've been good, Dallas Texas, Hollywoooo-ood!" he crooned. He certainly didn't need to quit his day job.

A screen flashed red to his right, warning him that someone was attempting to hack into the system.

"Oh no you dint! You little hacker wannabe MIT prick!" He slid over to another keyboard and touched a few keys, sending a little surprise to the would be hacker.

"Take that! Hope mommy can buy you a new computer, asshole!"

He returned to his other keyboard, bopping his head to the music.

"I said Lord take me downtown, I'm just looking for some tush!"

On a screen to his left a message popped up. Bobby quickly opened it and looked it over. It showed a photo of a burnt building. He broke out in a goofy grin. He couldn't beleive what he was seeing.

"What? The fucking League of Shadows' hideout got blown to kingdom come?" He laughed out loud "Its about time those dumb ninja fuckers got what they had coming to 'em." He keyed a short reply, then turned back to the center display.

Just then his door banged open, surprising Bobby. Alex stormed in and lunged at him. Bobby shot up from his chair and jumped out of the way, amazingly quick for a burned out forty-five year old who smoked too much. Alex chased him around the room, knocking chairs and expensive computer equipment over.

Josef just leaned on the doorframe, laughing.

Finally, cornered, Bobby held up his hands in defense.

"What the fuck got into .." Whack! He was cut off by a fist to his jaw. Bobby bent over double, holding his jaw. Alex grabbed him and threw him against the wall so hard that his shelf of prized beer mugs crashed to the floor.

"What the fuck did you do to Marian!?" Alex held him up against the wall, glaring down at him.

"What? I don't know what your talking about, man. Let me go." Bobby glanced at Josef. That asshole couldn't keep his mouth shut.

"Yes you do, Bobby. And I swear to God if you don't tell me right now, I'm going to hook you up to that damn machine myself!" Alex emphasized his point by banging Bobby's head back into the wall, putting a crack in the drywall.

"Hey, she wanted it! I was just doing what she asked me to, man!"

"Liar." Alex raised a fist up, about to smash his lights out.

"No, it's true. Ask loose lips over there. He knows."

Alex turned to Josef, but kept his grip on Bobby.

"Josef, is that true? Why the hell didn't you tell me she wanted it?"

Josef shrugged, "You didn't ask."

Just then the cell phone in Alex's pocket rang.

"Fuck." Alex let Bobby go and tried to compose himself as he took it from his pocket, answering the phone in a calm voice.

"Yes sir," Alex bit his lower lip, looking concerned as it wasn't good to get two phone calls from the boss in one day.

"I'm ready, sir…..Nine o'clock? I'll be ready…Yes, sir. You can count on me…"

Alex furrowed his brow, frowning.

"Yes, sir. I'll be right up." He slowly closed his phone, looking down at it for a moment. His fingers tightened around it. Suddenly, with a cry of rage, Alex threw it across the room.

"FUCK!"

Alex reared back and punched a hole in the wall, inches from Bobby's face.

"Nine o'clock? What's at nine o'clock?" Josef questioned.

Alex turned and headed for the door. "I'll tell you when I get back." He left Josef and Bobby standing in the wrecked room.

"That is, IF he comes back." Bobby gave Josef a worried look.

------------------

Richard Grant was the genius that ran Black Corp. The inventor of it's machines, the ones they marketed publicly and the ones kept hidden on the 51st floor of Black Corp Tower.

He was the boss.

But Alan Black was the face the world saw. The man on the frontline, the one who guarded Grant's dark secrets. He was the Black of Black Corp. He dealt with the public, sat in on the board meetings, and managed the employees that worked on the lower floors. He lived in a luxurious apartment on the 52nd level.

Grant only personally worked with his hand picked team of people. They occupied the top floors of the 53 level tower. Grant lived and worked out of his top floor penthouse, rarely to be seen. He also kept some of his most secretive machines up there, in his ebony fortress.

The elevator didn't go up to the 53rd level, to enter the penthouse you had to take one of the two staircases from the 52nd level. One was located in Alan's apartment and the other connected to a large control room where Alan and a few others worked.

The elevator opened in the control room and a distraught, worried Alex stepped out. He immediately spotted the sixty year old Alan, leaning over the shoulder of Logan, one of the computer techs, reading something on the display screen.

His features were distinct, sandy colored hair with streaks of grey, a prominent nose and expressive eyes. His voice was a deep baritone with a British accent. His tall figure moved gracefully, seeming to float across the room to Alex.

"Alex, please go ahead upstairs, Mr. Grant is waiting." He looked sympathetically at Alex. "It will be alright, he just wants to talk you."

"Yes sir." Alex made his way slowly up the black marble staircase. Oh God, I think I'd rather be hooked up to a machine. What if he finds out about the truth about Marian? Or Josef disobeying his orders? He tried to push that to the back of his mind as he reached the top. It was dim, the only light was what filtered up from the control room below. He could barely make out a figure in the darkness, sitting behind a desk.

"Alex." he said in greeting. Even his deep voice emitted darkness.

"Yes sir?" Alex said tentatively.

"About Marian.." he paused.

Oh God, he knows something. Alex took a deep breath and sent up a silent prayer.

"Tell me, Alex, why did she disobey me? I have always been generous to her, haven't I?"

"Yes sir, you have always been good to her, I don't know why she went against you."

" I have always been good to you too, haven't I?"

"Yes sir." He didn't like the direction this conversation was going at all.

"And your sister too?"

"Yes sir." Grant had saved Alex's sister from the illness that was killing her. Alex felt dread in the pit of his stomach. Please don't say what I think you're about to say.

"You wouldn't disobey me, would you, Alex?" There was cold edge to his voice.

"Nn..no sir." Alex stammered.

Grant stood up from his chair and walked around the desk to Alex, facing him in the gloom. From what Alex could see in the dark, Grant was holding something in his right hand. Oh God, maybe I am going to be zapped by some device.

"I'd like you to take this with you tonight and use it." He handed it to Alex.

"Use it how, sir?" Alex looked down at the thing in his trembling hand. It looked like a remote control with one button. The finish was a shiny black and it felt like ice in his hand. It weighed nearly nothing.

"Would you like me to demonstrate it for you?" Grant asked wickedly, smiling in the darkness.

"Uhh..I don't know, sir. I guess it depends on what it does." Alex swallowed. Just talk, my ass.

Grant took a step, closing the gap between them. Alex involuntarily stepped back, feeling a chill run up his back. Alex was a good six foot tall, but he had to look up to meet the black, expressionless eyes of his boss.

"Hand it to me Alex, and I'll show you what it does."

Alex's hand shook noticeably as he slowly held the device up, Grant's fingers were icy cold as he took it from his hand.

"It's actually very simple." Grant casually rolled the remote over in his hand, running his fingers over the finish, watching Alex's face. "But I think to best understand how it operates, one should experience it's effects for themselves first. Wouldn't you agree, Alex?"

Alex didn't answer.

Grant leaned in close to Alex, inches separating them, piercing Alex with his cold eyes.

"Are you my loyal servant, Alex?"

"Yes sir." Alex said softly, dreading what was next.

"Kneel down then, Alex."

Alex closed his eyes and clenched his teeth as he knelt down, preparing himself for the worst.

There was a small buzzing sound as Grant placed the cold object against Alex's forehead. Alex was beginning to think it might not be so bad when the darkness overcame him, plunging his mind into a black abyss. He couldn't feel a thing, he opened his eyes and saw only black. He tried to move but nothing happened.

He heard Grant's voice in the distance. What was he saying? Alex strained to hear him.

"Alex, do you have a secret?"

Alex wanted to say no sir but what came out was, "Yes sir." Shit! What did that thing do to him? He struggled to move, to break free, but the darkness held him tight.

"Alex, I'm disappointed in you. Don't you know you can tell me everything? Tell me, Alex, why did Marian defy me?"

"She didn't want to be with you. She wanted her freedom." Oh God, I won't be able to keep Josef's secret. He'll find out what happened to Marian's memory. We're all going to die, my sister too. Please, no more questions. Alex fought to regain control but the darkness binded him, body and soul.

"Let me ask you this then, Alex. Did Marian and you confide in each other?"

"Yes, she and I talked." Alex answered in a whisper.

"Were you invoved with her, romantically?"

"No sir."

"Did you want to be?"

"Yes sir."

"Interesting. Hmm..Did she reject you?"

"No, I never told her." God help me, I just addmitted I wanted Marian to the boss. He's going to kill me,I just know it. It was common knowledge arround the office that Grant had wanted Marian for himself. She was off limits.

"Well, Thats enough, for now.I think this was a very revealing demonstration, don't you?"

"No sir."

"Still have secrets, do we Alex?"

"Yes sir."

"That's okay, everyone has got to have their own little secrets." He pulled the device off of Alex's forehead.

Alex fell to the floor, panting for breath, but thankful no more was revealed. He struggled to his feet, muscles stiff.

Grant handed the device back to him.

"Use this tonight. Find out what Jack did to Marian."

"You want me to use it on Marian, sir?" He didn't think it would work, considering her current absence of memory.

"No, use it on Jack. Like I said before, bring back Marian, dead or alive."

"You want me to kill Marian, sir?" He wanted to hear it directly.

"If necessary. But she needs to be back here tonight, understood?"

"Yes sir."

"That is all, Alex" He walked back to his desk and sat down, deep in thought.

Alex turned and rushed down the stairs to the control room, putting the device in his pocket. He was amazed to still be alive, after what he'd admitted to Grant. Suddenly feeling very sick he made for the bathroom. He barely made it to the stall in time to throw up. Afterward, Alex washed his face in cold water at the sink. He straightened up, looking himself in the mirror, not recognizing the face that looked back. What have you become?

AN/ I'll get back to the good guys in the next chapter, I promise. Disclaimer: I don't own Batman or ZZ top. I bet Batman would like to listen to some ZZ top in his bat mobile.


	5. Chapter 5

Lost, Found and Lost Again

Chapter 5

Crossing Over

AN/ Disclaimer; I don't own Batman, or Moonlight.

Beth walked into Gotham Police Headquarters after lunch, returning to her desk job. As she walked through the busy office, she noticed the uniform police returning from the street with detainees. She sighed, all she ever wanted to be was a cop, out on the streets, kicking ass and catching the bad guys, just like her big brother used to. She had always looked up to her brother and he was always protective of her, more so since their parents died, ten years ago when she was sixteen.

Thirty-one years ago her parents had adopted her brother, thinking they couldn't have children. Then five years later, surprise. Her mother had a difficult pregnancy and Beth was born six weeks premature. She also was born with a defective heart and spent a lot of her childhood in a hospital or at home in bed. Her brother had always been there for her and after the death of their parents, she went to live with him. At the time, he was a rookie cop and used to come home in the mornings and tell her stories about all the criminals he had arrested. Beth was fascinated with crime fighting, she just had to be a police officer too. She dreamed of one day being a Gotham City police officer alongside her brother.

Then at eighteen, she received a heart transplant and things turned for the worst. She suffered complications and the heart was rejected. Her hopes and dreams were destroyed when the doctors said that she was going to die. There was simply nothing modern medicine could do to save her.

Her brother had been devastated.

But looking a her now, you wouldn't have believed she was ever sick. In fact, Beth was better now than she had ever been. Energetic, vibrant, petite body with long blonde hair and bright blue eyes, she turned a lot of heads at the station. Everyone there who knew of her amazing recovery respected and looked out for her. Sometimes she thought it was if she had a whole force of big brothers now. Too bad her real big brother wasn't here also.

Although she fully recovered she still didn't get to live out her dream of being a street cop. Even though she could kick most of these guys' butts, and was actually in excellent physical condition now, she was denied entry onto the force, because of her medical history. So that is why she worked at a desk under Lieutenant Gordon, taking care of the paperwork side of crime fighting.

Beth sat down at her desk and turned on the computer, the IN stack on her desk was full, there were ten phone messages waiting, thirty e-mails to open and a note from Gordon wanting her to retrieve some important files on Falcone from the archives. Just as she was beginning to dig in, her cell phone rang. Thinking she might let it go to voice mail, she checked the caller ID. Alex. Her faced brightened up, it had been a year since she moved out on her own and she missed talking to him everyday.

"Hey, I've missed you!" She said cheerfully when she answered.

"I've missed you too, baby. How about we get reacquainted tonight at my place?" the voice said in a draw. It clearly wasn't Alex.

"Who the hell is this?" Beth demanded.

"Hey, there's no need to get snippy, babe. I thought you just said you missed me."

"Josef? You jerk! Let me talk to Alex."

"I can't, he's not here."

"Why do you have his phone, then?" she said angrily.

"I found it. How about I pick you up at seven? Could you wear that tight black dress, the one that makes you look like a dominatrix? Oh, and bring your whip too."

"Dream on, you ass. Where's Alex?" God, Josef could be such a perv, and how did he know about the whip?

"You know Beth, I don't appreciate the tone of your voice, if you can't be the least bit courteous then I suggest we end this conversation."

"You called me! I can talk to you however I want, besides, you .."

The line went dead. Beth looked down at her phone. Josef had hung up on her.

"Asshole!" Beth hissed.

"Excuse me?" A man's voice said behind her.

Beth turned, embarrassed to find Lieutenant Gordon standing there, holding more files.

--------------------

Josef pressed End and looked down at the cracked up phone, smiling. He had to see if it still worked didn't he? Silver duck tape was wrapped around the phone to reattach the battery, it was ugly but operational. He pocketed it and made his way back to Alex's armory of an office to await his return. Too bad Beth was his best friend's sister, and totally off limits. BFF law number one; Don't date my sister.

Perhaps he should dump Alex, Beth was way better looking, Josef mused as he sat down and made himself comfortable at Alex's desk, kicking back. He casually nosed through the contents of the drawers to kill time, not looking for anything in particular. Josef was a terrible snoop, always going through people's stuff when they were out of the room. That's how he knew Beth had a whip, among other things. She sure liked black leather.

"Ah, what do we have here?" He pulled out a brown leather bound book. Was Alex keeping a diary? Josef smirked. How feminine of him. He opened it up read the first page. Slowly, his smirk faded into a serious expression. This wasn't Alex's diary. It was Marian's.

Just then, Alex walked in, seeing the open book in Josef's hands.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!?" Alex crossed the room and yanked the diary from Josef's hands.

"Just a little light reading to pass the time. What took you so long?" Josef said nonchalantly.

Alex didn't answer. He walked over to a gun safe in the corner of the room, and locked the diary away. That done he turned to Josef, a furious look in his eye.

"Get out!" He was in no mood to put up with Josef and his prying questions.

"Boy, you sound as grouchy as Beth," Josef stood up and handed Alex his battered phone, "Why do I put up with the two of you?"

"Out!"

"Okay, okay," Josef walked to the doorway and stopped, "You know I could go tonight and watch your back, if you want."

Alex, who had sat down at his desk, was leaning forward with his head in his hands, feeling defeated.

"I think I can handle Jack by myself, Josef." Alex said quietly.

"Handle Jack?," Josef furrowed his brow, "I thought you were supposed to help him, not handle him, weren't you?"

More damn questions. If Josef doesn't leave right now, I'm seriously going to throw him out the window.

"Go away, Josef."

Josef took the hint and shut the door as he left.

Alex rubbed his brow, feeling a killer headache coming on. This was turning out to be one hell of a day, and it wasn't even two o'clock yet. And now Josef knew about the diary of Marian. At least Grant didn't know. Yet.

His to do list was growing longer by the minute it seemed. Lets see, there was try not to reveal secrets about Josef , Bobby, or Marian to the boss, who had nifty little lie detector and wasn't shy about using it, interrogate Jack with it for the boss and then help Jack get Marian back dead or alive for the boss, and if that wasn't enough, he had to do all of this without being tortured and killed by the boss himself. All in a day's work. This was the price he paid to save his little sister, a lifetime of servitude to a sadistic genius who could give the devil a run for his money.

God, life was so much simpler being cop.

-----------------------------------

The smell of baking cookies made Marian's mouth water as she stood before the stove, checking to see if they were done. Alfred had left her to her own devices so he could run a few errands, including buying some new clothes and shoes for her. She had explored the mansion for awhile, but found the expensive home to feel cold and uninviting. She did however find some old family photos that were quite interesting. They showed a cute little boy with brown hair with his beautiful mother and handsome, distinguished father. They looked so happy and full of life in the pictures. She didn't see any of the parents of the boy after about age eight. What happened to turn a once full, happy home into an empty, cold cathedral? Marian had returned to the kitchen, deciding to make Alfred some cookies as a thank you. Well, she had wanted some too but she wouldn't tell him that.

Alfred came in carrying several bags full of clothes just as she was putting the warm cookies on a plate, one cookie hanging from her mouth. He smiled at Marian. Did she ever stop eating? She eyed the bags with amazement.

"Is all that for me?" she asked, mouth full of cookie.

"Well, I told the saleslady to give me everything a beautiful young lady might need."

"Beautiful?" she raised her brows. Was he talking about me?

Alfred looked at her for a moment, long brown hair, blue eyes, delicate face, all of that was nice but the real beauty she had came from within. In the short time they had been together, her smile, her laughter, and everything she said had brought warmth into this long empty home.

"Yes, beautiful."

Marian blushed, "Uh, I made you some cookies as a thank you for all you've done," offering the plate to him, " I hope you like chocolate chip."

"They're my favorite," Alfred took a cookie and bit into it, "Mmm, Wonderful. How about some tea to go with them?" She nodded and Alfred went to boil the water.

"I'll go get dressed and be right back." Marian took the bags to her room.

After she left Alfred's cell phone rang. There were only two people Alfred expected a call from, and one hadn't called in seven years. The other was Lucius.

"Alfred, Do you feel up to taking a trip to China?" Lucius asked.

"China?" Alfred didn't know what he was talking about.

"I got a lead on Bruce from an associate, naming a location of the monastery in China."

"I'll see how soon I can get the jet ready." Finally, a chance to get Bruce back. Alfred wasn't going to let it pass.

"Oh, and I tested the blood and it came back clean, no drugs in her system."

" Thanlk you, Lucius. Hopefully, her memory will come back in time."

They talked a bit more about Marian and then Lucius gave him the coordinates and Alfred thanked him in return, before ending the call.

The tea was ready so Alfred poured two cups and sat down at the table. He had a few calls to make to arrange the departure, and he made them while he waited.

Marian returned, looking fashionable in a cashmere sweater, jeans and warm socks. Lucky emerged from his napping place under the table and greeted her with doggy kisses. Marian knelled down and petted him while she patiently waited for Alfred to finish his call. Why was he taking a trip to China today? She looked regretfully at the dog. I guess I'll be back on the street tonight. Alfred finished the call and noticed her sad look.

"I've had an emergency come up and I need to leave for a few days, do you think you could stay here and take care of Lucky for me?"

"Oh, sure," Marian said, surprised, "Are you certain you want to trust me?"

Alfred smiled at her reassuringly, "Of course I trust you, even though we've only known each other a short time, I feel confident enough to leave you in charge."

"Thank you, Alfred, you don't know how much that means to me," Marian got up and walked over to Alfred and gave him a long hug, "I promise not to eat all your food while you're gone."

"You eat as much as you want, I need to go pack some bags but I'll be back to say goodbye."

Alfred left and Marian was alone with Lucky again. She ruffed his fur, "I guess it's just you and me, boy." From hungry, homeless person to house-sitter in one day, or would that be mansion-sitter?

AN/ This is one long day, I think some action is coming up next chapter, hopefully. I kinda sorta drew from some TV shows for the characters if your interested; SCIFI's Moonlight the charactors Mick(Alex),Beth, and Josef. BBC's Robinhood; Marian ,Guy(Grant) And the movie Armagedon; Rockhound(Bobby) Disclaimer; I don't own any of the copyrights to these shows and this purely for entertainment purposes only. Thanks for reading and reviewing.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Beyond Thunderdome

AN/ Thanks for the encouraging reviews! I hope I can keep up with all these characters. I hadn't planned this to be a cross over but I think it works well. I also get a lot of inspiration watching UTube music videos of my fav. characters. Disclaimer; I don't own any Batman, or other tv shows, or movies, or music, or copyrights to anything, I do own a big black dog though.

-----------------------

The golden orb sank low on the horizon as Marian watched from the second floor balcony of Wayne Manor. Twenty-one. It was the most beautiful one yet. A lot had changed in twenty-four hours. She sighed and returned inside to fix supper for herself. Alfred had left two hours ago, having given her instructions and his cell phone number so she could call him if she needed, so it was just her and Lucky alone in the huge mansion.

In the kitchen, Marian looked through the gigantic fridge for inspiration for tonight's meal. Fish, chicken, she picked up another package. Ribeye, her mouth watered, yes that's it.

"Were having steak tonight, Lucky."

The phone on the counter rang. Was Alfred already calling? He's probably having second thoughts about leaving me here alone, she thought as she was picking up the phone receiver.

"Hello." She waited for someone to say something. No one did.

"Alfred, is that you?" Still nothing.

"Is anyone there?" She asked, starting to feel nervous.

Nothing.

Marian hung up the phone.

That was weird, she thought as she went back to her cooking, turning on the flame on the gas range and seasoning the steak. Lucky had suddenly come to life, sniffing the air. she smiled down at him, "I got one for you too, mutt." Call forgotten, Marian went about preparing the meal.

------------------------------------

Jack hung up the phone. And grinned evilly.

"Yup, that's her alright, sounds like she's alone too. This is going to be easy."

Bobby laughed, "I thought last night was supposed to be easy, you dumbfuck."

They were sitting in Bobby's wrecked office, drinking shots of tequila and puffing on cigars. Bobby had found the address of the owner of the Mercedes and was shocked to find it was Wayne Manor. Then he had brought up the unlisted phone number for Jack. Now he was searching for some blueprints to the mansion and also looking to see if it had any contracts with security and burglar alarm companies. It would all too simple to disconnect them with a few short key strokes from the comfort of his office chair.

"Last night would have been easy if it weren't for that guy getting the jump on us."

"Do you mean the sixty-four year old butler or the seven foot tall black guy with arms the size of tree trunks?" Bobby asked sarcastically before downing a shot of tequila.

"Fuck you, Bobby. At least I didn't get pussy whipped by that brown nosing ex-pig," he motioned to the destroyed office, "Looks like ya'll had some make-out session here."

Bobby ignored him as he had found the what he was looking for, "Okay, you're good to go tonight, the alarm is disabled." He printed out the diagram of the mansion and handed it to Jack. "If they got guard dogs you're on your own."

The slightly inebriated Jack whipped out his handy knife, relishing it before him, "Oh, I don't think any pooch is gonna stop me tonight," He plunged the blade deep into the table, millimeters from where Bobby had rested his hand "Oh, Marian is going to be sooo happy to see me." he grinned maliciously.

"Hey, watch the goods man!," Bobby inspected his hand for any marks, "What the fuck are you going to do to her anyway? I thought you were just supposed to bring her back."

"Yeah, I'll bring her back alright. In a body bag." he pulled the knife out of the table and pocketed it.

"I don't think Grant is gonna like that."

"I'll just say it was unavoidable, he's just going to kill her anyway. I'm just making it easier on him." Jack got up and headed for the door.

"You're crazy, you know it" Bobby called after him. Dumbass.

Bobby turned back to his computer, keying in code again. What the fuck did he care if Jack gutted Marian. He looked at the screen before him. Like he said, Grant was just going to kill her anyway, Right? Bobby took the bottle of tequila and took a long swig from it. And Alex was supposed to make sure Jack didn't fuck up, Kill her too if he had too, Right? Bobby leaned back in his chair and puffed on the cigar. Their psycho demigod of a boss was probably pitting Alex against Jack for his own sick entertainment. Why should he interfere? He certainly didn't want to get on the boss's bad side. Damn Marian. He thought about the night he wiped her memories, the way she looked afterward, like a load of bricks had been taken off her shoulders.

"Damn it." He sat up and reached for the phone.

--------------------------------------

Beth left work late, having helped Gordon with his investigation of Facone's drug empire until seven o'clock. Hopefully, they would be able to arrest him soon. She walked to her car in the empty parking lot, thinking to herself. What she wouldn't give to be the one to go arrest him. Sure, her job at the station was a necessity to get the thugs off the street, someone had to do the paperwork, but it was so boring. She had enough boredom already, years of staying in a bed and being crippled by her faulty heart, not being able to do anything fun or exciting.

Now that she was better, more than better, Beth found herself attracted to anything and everything that was dangerous or daring. She was practically bursting at the seams with energy. Needing a outlet for her passion, Beth had become somewhat of a late night thrill seeker, testing her new found stamina and agility along the city's rooftops. But it still wasn't enough.

Beth was nearly to her car when a tall figure stepped out of the shadows. Instinctively, she assumed a defensive pose, preparing to protect herself from a would be attack.

"Whoa, whoa," the figure raised his hands, "It's just me, Beth."

"Alex?" Her face lit up with joy. She grabbed him in a big bear hug. "God, I've missed you! What are you doing out here?"

"I just wanted to see you. Josef said you were grouchy."

"He's the one that made me grouchy. And I'd appreciate it you wouldn't let him call me with your phone anymore." She smiled at Alex but then noticed his somber mood. She frowned, "What's wrong Alex? Is there something you need to talk about? We can go back to my place if you want."

"No, I have to get back to work, Beth. I just wanted to see if you were alright." He took her up in another long embrace, soaking up her warmth. This is why I do what I do, for her. She's worth it. He felt his eyes water and he pulled back, stepping into the shadows.

"I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay? Bye Beth, I love you."

"Wait! Alex, Come back!" Beth followed after him a few steps but he had disappeared into the darkness.

"I love you too." she whispered.

------------------------

Alex stood in a dark alley and watched as Beth's car disappeared down the street. He thought back to when she was fighting to survive in the hospital, how he was helpless. All he could do was stand by and watch her life fade away. His little sister, so beautiful, dying so young.

And then there was the dark dressed man who approached him in the hallway outside the ICU. And just like the devil, he offered what Alex thought to be impossible, to heal Beth's broken heart. Alex had first thought the man was crazy, but then he demonstrated his device on another patient who also was dying. It was amazing, the patient practically jumped out of the bed, and the doctors said his heart had somehow healed itself. Grant had then asked Alex what it was worth to heal Beth, what price he would pay.

Of course Alex made the deal, he would have done anything for Beth, and that's how he had come to work at the black tower, leading one of Grant's security teams. The terms of the debt were clear, Beth's life for Alex's freedom, he was to spend the rest of his life in servitude to Grant.

Alex turned away from the street and headed up the alley to his parked motorcycle. It wasn't bad at first, working for Grant. He made more money, got his own office, and an unlimited supply of state of the art weapons and tactical gear. The job mainly consisted of protecting the corporation's secrets, and making certain no one infiltrated the top four floors.

Then, after a few visits to Grant's office, Alex learned the true price of his debt. Grant was brilliant, able to conceive and build inventions unimaginable, devices that could save lives, heal sickness, and remove pain. But for every good device there was an equal opposite one, the ones that Alex had gotten to know firsthand.

Alex had never dared defy Grant, it had been demonstrated that what he did for Beth could easily be reversed.

Alex stopped in the alleyway, thoughts turning to Beth. He was so proud of her, going to work for the police department, fighting against the evil in Gotham, just like he used to. Beth had such a bright future ahead of her.

He certainly didn't deserve to have her as his sister.

And if she ever found out what a monster he really was…

Alex stepped forward, intending to walk back to his motorcycle, but he only made it a few steps before the torment overtook him. He leaned against the brick wall and stifled back a sob. His shoulders shook and tears fell down his anguished face. He was overcome, all the pain and torture he went through for her, committing crimes that turned his soul black, years of being a slave to a dark savior. He was the very thing Beth reviled the most. Alex slid down the wall, grasping his head in his hands, trying to hold together the broken pieces of his heart. He felt completely consumed by darkness.

-----------------------

The light broke through the clouds, the snowstorm from last night gone. The new snow on the mountains sparkled like diamonds in the bright morning sunlight. Bruce made his way through the pass, anxious to reach civilization.

A road was visible in the distance, maybe, if he was lucky he could catch a ride once he reached it.

As he walked, his thoughts returned to the monastery where he received his training from Henri to become an expert assassin and vigilante leader. When it was revealed to him that the League of Shadows actually did more harm than good, planning to devastate the already crippled Gotham, Bruce turned on his master, Ra's al Ghul, destroying the monastery and everyone in it. How could he have let himself become so mislead? Bruce felt betrayed by Henri, who he had come to trust and respect as his mentor. Why did he follow that madman? If he, himself had stayed there much longer, would he have become his pawn too? Bruce realized that he had come very close to losing himself to the madness that was the League of Shadows.

Along the dirt road ahead of him, a battered truck approached. Bruce picked up his pace to reach the road before the truck passed by. He waved his arms and yelled in the little bit of Chinese he knew for them to stop. Maybe they would have a cell phone, but judging from the poor condition of the occupants, he doubted it.

------------------------------

Jack was waiting in the private parking garage located in the basement of the black tower at nine o'clock when Alex rode in on his motorcycle. Jack looked at his phone and sent a text message as Alex got off and approached. They gave each other a distrusting look.

"Were going in the van, I've already got it ready." Alex wearily stated. He turned and walked towards the black cargo van.

"Whatever you say, boss." Jack said in a draw, following him.

Jack pulled something out of his pocket.

Just as Alex reached the van, he was hit from behind, knocking him into the side of the van. He fell to the floor in pain, gasping for breath. He struggled to his hands and knees, coughing and choking, trying to get some air. Blood dripped from his mouth and left dark spots on the cement. Jack kicked him in the gut, sending him down again, then he grabbed Alex by the back of his head pulling him up. He placed the gun at his temple.

"Were gonna have some fun tonight, Alex, my boy. Now get in."

His two goons had appeared, Lenny and Tony, and they hauled Alex into the back of the van, binding his hands with zip ties. The van started, and they pulled out of the garage onto the dark street. Alex fought to stay conscious, blood pooling on the floorboard beneath him.

--------------------------------

Marian and Lucky, having finished their supper, sat on the couch in front of the blazing fireplace. Marian, feet curled underneath her, had a book one hand and a cup of hot chocolate in the other. Lucky was stretched out, snoring lightly.

The phone on the table rang, startling Marian. She got up and walked over to the table to answer.

"Hello?" she said tentatively.

"Hello? Who is this?"

"Uh," How do I answer that one? Marian thought nervously, "I'm the house sitter. Who is this?"

"I presume I'm the owner of the house you're sitting." Since when did Alfred need a house sitter? "May I speak to Alfred, please?"

"He's not here." Owner? The boy from the pictures? He finally decided to call home?

"It's important that I talk to him, Where is he?"

"I guess he's flying over the Pacific right now, but I'm not certain." Marian said coldly. Alfred had told her about Bruce, that he had been gone for years without calling, how worried he'd been. "Can I ask you something?"

"Yes." Bruce said as he stood in the sunlight, using the satellite phone owned by the man in the truck.

"What took you so long to call? You know Alfred was worried sick about you, missing for all these years. Would it have been too terrible to drop him a line once in a while?" Marian paced in front of the fireplace, angry.

Bruce was surprised, being reprimanded by someone he didn't even know, "I've been busy." he said coolly as he leaned against the truck.

"That's not a good enough excuse and you know it!" Marian put her hand on her hip. "Hasn't Alfred been like a father to you? Do you not care how he feels?"

Lucky was awake now, with ears perked up, looking around.

"Alfred understands my reasons for leaving," Who was this woman anyway? " I need to contact him, do you have his number?"

"But do you understand Alfred? I think not, seeing that he's only useful to you when you want him."

Lucky was at the window now, looking out.

"Listen, Alfred works for me and if you're working at my house then I guess that makes you my employee as well, so whoever you are, can you just get me the number?" Bruce was losing his patience.

"What are you going to do, fire me?" Marian wasn't about to bossed around.

At the window, Lucky growled, hackles raised, then barked at the darkness beyond the window.

"Is that a dog?" Bruce asked.

"Be quiet Lucky. I'm trying to talk to our boss." Marian said sarcastically. Then to Bruce, "Fine, I'll get you the number, it's in the other room so it'll take a minute. Can you wait that long?" She headed for in the kitchen with the cordless phone in hand.

"I suppose I'll have to." Bruce conceded.

Lucky stayed at the window, growling and baring his teeth.

----------------------------------------

A few streets over from the Black Corp. building, Josef waited impatiently, holding a package in his hand. He looked at his watch, Nine- fifteen. Where the hell was he?

Just as he was about to dial his phone, he heard a rumbling motor. Looking up the street, he saw a huge black four door Dodge truck approach. It had giant mud tires, a cattle guard on front, and light rack on top. The chrome exhaust stacks behind the cab belched out black smoke from the clattering diesel engine. The truck looked like something out of a Mad Max movie. It came to a stop in front of Josef.

"What the hell?" Josef said as he opened the door to climb up into it. " I thought we were supposed to be inconspicuous?"

"This is inconspicuous compared to my other cars." Bobby grinned, "Did you get it?"

Josef held up the package, "Yeah. Do you think you can use it?"

"I hope so." Bobby pulled away from the curb, engine roaring.

---------------------------------

AN/ It's about time Bruce called home, too bad he can't be there to save Marian.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7  
Character Death

AN/ Disclaimer; No copyright infringement intended. I do not own any characters, Batman, movies, TV shows, etc. Character death ahead, rated M

------------------

Thousands of twinkling stars speckled the ink black sky above the city of Gotham. The night was amazingly clear, the storm from the previous night having cleansed the air, a rarity in such a polluted city.

In the historic section of Gotham a cloaked woman sprinted silently across the tiled rooftop of a tall, gothic cathedral. Reaching the edge of one roof peak she leapt, gliding twenty feet through the darkness and landing lithely on another old building, this one having stone gargoyles guarding each of it's corners. The woman stood, brushed herself off and walked to the ledge. She placed one hand on a gargoyle and with the other she pulled back the hood of her cloak, revealing her face.

Taking in the scenery before her, Beth closed her eyes and felt the cool night breeze on her face, she tilted her head slightly and listened to the city's heartbeat. It was alive with activity, a living entity made up of thousands of souls, each like a star in the sky above. Beth leaned out as far as she could, eyes still closed, soaking in the night.

A noise startled her from behind and she whipped around, nearly losing her balance on the ledge. A hand reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her back to safety.

"I apologize, I didn't mean to frighten you." The man said in a deep voice, letting her arm go.

Surprised, Beth blushed, she hadn't intended for anyone to discover her, out on her nightly escapades. The man was dressed in black, as was she, he had black hair and dark piercing eyes. He was very tall and muscular. Beth thought he was very handsome, which made her blush more.

"I didn't know anyone else was up here." she said, embarrassed. She pulled her cloak closed over her tight black leather outfit, hiding the whip strapped to her hip.

"I come out here to enjoy the night air, and the view is breath taking," he said looking pointedly at Beth. "I must say, you have improved greatly these past few months."

"What?" Had he been watching me? All this time? Beth looked mortified.

"I'm sorry, I should have revealed myself earlier, but your talents are so amazing and I didn't want to scare you off." He offered her his hand, "By the way, my name is Richard."

Beth reached out tentatively and shook his hand, "I'm Beth."

He was dark and mysterious and maybe dangerous, and she was intrigued.

----------------------------

"Have you got the number yet?" Bruce asked impatiently. She sure was taking her sweet time getting Alfred's number.

Annoyed, Marian rifled through the papers on the desk in the study. Wasn't it just here? she wondered. Then she remembered taking it into the kitchen, placing the paper by the phone in there.

"Just hold on a minute, would you?" Marian said angrily, walking to the kitchen. "You know, if I were Alfred, I'd make you walk home from China."

"What?"

"He's flying over there right now, coming to get you. I hope you at least remember to thank him."

"He's coming here?" How did Alfred know where he was?

"Yeah, I tried to talk him out of it though, seeing as how you conveniently forgot to call him for seven years." Marian smirked as she walked to the kitchen.

There was a crash in the den.

Marian's heart skipped a beat.

Then there was the sound of Lucky attacking someone.

"Oh God." Marian gasped. Someone had broken in. She dropped the phone.

The sound of Lucky attacking abruptly ended with a gunshot.

"No!" Marian screamed and ran to the den, toward the intruders.

-----------------------

Fading in and out of consciousness, Alex was dragged into the mansion and dumped unceremoniously on the floor in front of the fireplace. He heard a woman scream and he tried to get up, but he was too weak. It was a struggle just to open his eyes, his vision blurred and dimmed and he strained to see Jack holding Marian in front of him. He could faintly hear Jack taunting.

"Oh, Marian, look what you've gone and done," he motioned to Alex with his gun, "You've gone and shot the boss's best boy. I think Alex is going to bleed to death, don't you?" He laughed wickedly.

"I didn't shoot him, you bastard!" Marian fought against his grip, tears streaming down her face.

"Oh, but you will." He gripped her arm tightly and placed the gun in her fingers, closing them over the handle. He aimed her arm towards Alex and squeezed her hand causing the gun to fire. The shot missed, Marian was able to jerk the gun to the side in time.

"Marian, you're going to have to work on your aim," Jack laughed, pointing her towards Alex again. "Lets try again."

"No!" Marian yelled, resisting with all her might.

Alex was losing his fight to stay conscious, he closed his eyes, letting the darkness come.

The gun went off again and Marian screamed.

----------------------------

"Can't this thing go any faster?" Josef yelled over the roaring engine noise. They were speeding down the road, headed for Wayne Manor, whipping in and out of traffic. Ahead of them, cars were stopped at a red light. Bobby swerved and jumped the curb and barreled down the sidewalk, knocking down a street sign before blowing through the intersection, clipping a passing car as he did.

"Watch where you're going, asshole!" Bobby yelled at the innocent car.

"There it is, up on that hill." Josef pointed.

"I think we'll take a shortcut." Bobby crossed the median, causing oncoming cars to slam on their brakes. Taking a direct route to the mansion, the truck crashed through the iron fence and crossed the estate's grounds, plowing down any foliage in it's path. Josef held on for dear life as the truck hit the embankment of a stream, going airborne for a second then landing with a bone-jarring crunch on the other side.

"Okay, you can slow down now!" Josef yelled as Bobby swerved left and right, dodging massive oak trees.

Instead, Bobby gave the truck more gas, thundering up the lawn, towards the front door, "I've always wanted to do this!" he let out a whoop.

"Slow down!" Josef cried.

Bobby laughed hysterically and blew the truck's deafening air horn.

"Yahoo!"

The truck thundered up the wide stone steps and crashed through the front doors, coming to a skidding stop in the mansion's foyer. Debris and broken furniture went everywhere, and dust and black exhaust smoke filled the room. Bobby turned to Josef, grinning,

"How's that for a grand entrance?"

"You're fucking crazy! Now let's go!" Josef pulled a gun from his jacket and then opened the passenger door, he jumped down and made for cover.

-------------------------------

"Gotham police, state your emergency." The dispatcher said flatly.

"I need the police sent to my house, someone has broken in, and the house-sitter is there by herself." Bruce said urgently.

"Address?" She asked.

"It's Wayne Manor."

"Who is this speaking?"

"Bruce Wayne, I own the house."

"Yeah right, good one buddy. Everyone knows Bruce Wayne is dead so give it up, your wasting valuable tax dollars and my time." She hung up.

"Damn it!" Bruce slammed a fist into the truck.

------------------------------

The loud crash of the truck making it's entrance interrupted Jack's torture of Marian. He threw her to the floor beside the still body of Alex. He quickly reloaded his gun and motioned for Lenny and Tony to follow. They disappeared into the hallway, leaving Marian alone.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," she sobbed as she crawled over the lifeless body, she didn't remember him but by the way Jack spoke of him, he must have been her friend. Marian gently turned him over, feeling for a pulse. "Alex, I'm so sorry." She bent over him, holding him in her arms and cried.

Some minutes later, shots were fired, causing Marian to flinch. She looked at the doorway, expecting Jack to return. To her surprise a stranger entered holding a package in one hand and a shotgun in the other.

"Marian?" Bobby was surprised to see her still in one piece. Then he saw Alex laying in a pool of blood beside her. "Oh shit, Alex." He rushed over to them, knelt down and opened the package, pulling out a black machine. He felt for a pulse. "Damn."

More shots were heard from elsewhere in the mansion. Bobby handed Marian the shotgun.

"If that bastard comes back, blow his head off."

Marian gripped the gun, stood up and faced the door. She glanced at Bobby as he opened Alex's shirt, placing the machine on his chest.

"What are you going to do?" she asked.

"Hopefully, save his life, but I've never used this machine before so I don't know what will happen." He pressed a button on the device and it made a low humming noise.

"But isn't he already.." Marian hadn't felt a pulse.

"I know, but it still might work." At least Bobby hoped it would.

------------------------------

"Do you live in this building?" Beth asked the dark stranger. "I thought they all were vacant." She leaned back and rested against the cold stone gargoyle.

"Yes, they are vacant for now, but someday I hope to return them to their original glory. That is, if I can keep away the developers who want to demolish them."

"So, you do own them?" Beth looked up at him curiously.

"Yes, I acquired them several years ago, I've been trying to have them restored, but I keep running into red tape with the city's bureaucrats, it seems the greedy developers have them in their pockets." Richard stepped closer and whispered, "Not all crimes take place on the dirty streets of Gotham, Beth." He leaned closer and placed a hand on the statue above her.

"I know." Beth whispered as she looked up, into the mysterious dark eyes, "That's why I'm out here training. I mean, that's what I plan to do once I'm ready, fight the criminals of Gotham." Beth couldn't believe she had just confided her deepest desire to a stranger.

"Really?" Grant whispered as he leaned in close, eyes locked with hers.

"Yes, I.." Her words were cut off as his lips met hers in a passionate kiss. Beth parted her lips to gasp for breath and he pressed forward, taking possession of her mouth with his tongue. Beth felt powerless under his commanding presence. He pulled back and stared into her eyes.

"I can help you." He whispered.

"Help me?" Beth swallowed.

"Help you train, I have skills that could be of use to you. I also know a lot about criminals who run this city."

"And just how do you know about them?" Beth wondered if he was one himself.

"It's my business to know what's going on," He stepped back, "You could achieve so much more with my support," He stepped to the edge of the building, "Think about it. I'll be seeing you around. Bye, Beth."

And with that he disappeared over the side.

"Richard!"

Beth ran over and looked down. There was just an empty street below.

-------------------------------

Being lost on the darkness was good. There were no feelings, no pain, no regrets or broken hearts. Only waves of ebony that pulled him further away, down into a bottomless abyss. It was better this way, leaving it all behind, letting everything fade away, Beth would be better off.

Pain suddenly seared his soul and the darkness he found refuge in began to turn crimson. Agony gripped him totally, like being burned alive in a blazing blood red fire, he screamed but made no sound. Every molecule of his body burned, his soul was reduced to charred ash.

The redness brightened, the pain unbearable, Alex just knew this was hell.

"Ahhhh!" Alex screamed in agony as he woke up.

"Whoa, take it easy, man." Bobby held him down as he writhed in pain.

"Oh my God." Marian stared open mouthed as Alex woke from death.

Alex knocked the machine off and sat up, crying from the agony that consumed him. Marian handed the gun back to Bobby and knelt beside Alex, wrapping her arms around him, trying to calm him.

"It's okay, Alex. You're with us now, we'll take care of you, okay?" She held him tightly.

Alex slowly calmed down as he became aware of his surroundings, he looked at Marian.

"Marian, are you alright?" he asked as he reached up and traced the scar on her cheek. What happened to her? He thought about what Grant asked him to do. Jack. He struggled to get up but was too weak.

"Hey man, you been through a lot tonight, take it easy." Bobby said quietly.

"Where's Jack?"

"Oh, I suppose he's dead by now." Josef said from behind them.

They turned to see Josef standing there, holding a wounded Lucky in his arms.

"Lucky!" Marian cried, " Is he okay?"

Josef looked at Bobby, "You think it will work on him?" He set the dog down by Marian.

Bobby laid the machine on him, "I guess we'll see." He pressed the button and waited for it to work. The machine made a low hum.

"Please work, please." Marian pleaded.

Lucky laid still for a moment then opened his brown eyes, looking at them. He lifted his head and licked Marian's hand. Marian threw her arms around him, hugging him tight.

"Oh, Lucky, I thought you were gone!" Marian said through tears.

Police sirens could be heard in the distance.

"Well, I guess we'd better get back to the tower of doom before our chariot turns into a pumpkin," Bobby said as he put the machine back in the bag. He stood up and then he and Josef helped Alex up.

"Marian, let's go." Josef said as he and Bobby assisted Alex to the door, heading for the truck.

"What? I'm not leaving." Marian said.

"Marian, we have to take you back, the boss is going to be mad enough as it is, with us killing his goon squad." Josef said.

"No. I'm staying, tell your boss to come get me himself, if it's that important."

"Marian, you definitely don't want that. Come on, I don't want to have to force you." Josef threatened.

"Well, you're going to have to force me then." Marian stated.

"Let her stay." Alex said weakly.

"What? Alex, you know Grant will kill you if you don't bring her back!"

"No, he won't. Now leave her." He let go of Josef and Bobby and stood on his own, "Marian, you'll have to tell the police that you killed three intruders yourself but one got away. Okay?" He turned to Josef, "Give her the gun you used."

"Alex, surely you don't mean to…." Josef started.

"Just give her the gun! Let's go." Alex looked at Marian, "You won't be safe here, he'll come for you, Marian."

"Thank you, Alex." she gave him a gentle hug and walked with them to the foyer.

Her jaw dropped as she saw the truck parked in the room, "You know, you could have just used the door to get in."

Bobby grinned, "The doorbell was broken."

With that said, they left. Marian watched as the truck backed out of the mansion, turned and made it's way down the lawn.

Minutes later the police arrived.

Marian looked around at the wrecked mansion, then to Lucky, "Looks like we got a lot of explaining to do."

The phone rang.

"I hope that's not the boss."

-----------------------------

AN/ Whew! I know I said character death. Jack and his goons are dead aren't they? No way I'm killing Alex, Grant might though. Bruce to arrive soon, I hope he doesn't fire Marian. Thanks for reading !


End file.
